Just a Little Luck (Play On Luck 3)
by TheChuckles
Summary: Our survivors are separated and in dire straights. One group has trouble conforming to the relaxed lifestyle of a new community, while dealing with their own internal struggles. Another group can't seem to get a break, coming in conflict with another violent party. The third group deals with untrustworthy characters and a looming conflict in the third instalment of my TWD fanfic :)
1. Chapter 1: Similarly Different

_Hey everybody! :) Sorry it to like three weeks to get this out. I've been busy procrastinating and stuff. If you haven't read Dumb Luck: How I Survive The Apocalypse or Who Needs Luck, you should go and do that! Links for those stories, and the prequel in progress are on my account page :D Stay Classy ~TheChuckles_

_KAT'S POV _

_It's been 17 days. _

17 days since we got separated from the group in Atlanta. 17 days since I last saw Rick Grimes, Maggie Greene, Sasha or Bob. 17 days since Connor has last seen his brother and sister alive. 17 days since I last saw Alex, the one who I had blamed my Dad and Isaac's deaths on.

The farther north we travel, the colder it gets. Although it must only be the middle of October, it feels like we've entered a polar vortex rooted deep in the frozen depths of hell. Two years in the humid south has done nothing to prepare me for any sort of cold, and I definitely forgot how bad the winters were in Annapolis before the apocalypse. We're only in North Carolina now. _This winter is gonna suck_, i've decided. Even with my face bundled in a heavy pink scarf, I can't feel my nose.

"There." Abrahams says, pointing towards a 10 story building jutting out in a sea of low level buildings. It has to be less than a mile away. The building he's selected has a flat roof, and most of the windows seem to be intact. "We'll camp there for the night." He decides.

"Maybe Rosita and I can find some gas in some of these other buildings. Maybe some more food." Michonne comments, pulling up the collar on her leather jacket. Since we ran out of gas last week, we've been on foot since the border of the state. It's hasn't necessarily been all that fun.

"We only have a couple hours of sunlight left, so act fast. Go now. Kat and Tara, go with and see if you can find a running vehicle. We'll clear the building."

"Gotcha." I say, falling in with Michonne, Rosita and Tara as we fan out on either side of the road. Abraham, Gabriel and Connor advance down the street, weapons drawn. For a split second i'm worried about Connor, but he's gotten good at using that axe of his. And to his credit, Gabriel has become decent with his hatchet. Well, my old hatchet I've given him in exchange for Isaac's machete, which now rests comfortably on my belt.

We manage to fill two backpacks with miscellaneous supplies before enough walkers are alerted to our presence and we have to go. It feels too good to bring down several undead beasts with Isaac's machete as we hightail it to our new HQ. As we approach, I realize that we'll be staying at a hotel. Gabriel is waiting for us at the front door, hatchet in hand. We dive inside as he shuts the door and pushes a heavy cabinet in front of it, effectively sealing off the entrance.

Wordlessly, he leads us up several flights of stairs. By the time we reach the top floor, we're all winded. Abraham and Connor are busy getting a fire started, having already rearranged the furniture. We have the pleasure of taking residence in the penthouse. I claim a fluffy looking mattress complete with zebra print comforter and pillows.

"What'd you manage to snag?" Abraham asks in his thick texan drawl.

Rosita empties the backpacks on the floor, scattering our haul of cheap vending machine snacks and toiletries.

"Sweet." Connor says, picking up a toothbrush still in the package. "My breath must be pretty gnarly."

Michonne grins, ruffling his hair. "I'm sure we all have skunk breath."

Dinner consists of stale chips and granola bars, but instead of a sour mood, everybody seems to be somewhat happy. Maybe it's our new shelter. The last couple nights have been spent in rusted husks of cars or out underneath the stars. As I wrap myself with warm blankets on a soft bed, I decide that I _never_ want to sleep out in the open again.

After a good night's sleep, I wake up to the sound of shouting and walkers.

Groggily, I roll out of bed. I rub my eyes as my ears detect growls coming from the stairs. I'm glad I slept in my clothes, because everybody is on the move. Abe and Michonne already have weapons drawn and are waiting for the walkers to show up at the stairs. I'm pretty sure we secured the main entrance, but I guess they must've slipped in through a window or something.

"How many?" somebody asks. It's Rosita.

Abraham replies with a frown, "Too many."

"Can't we take 'em? We have weapons, and we have the high ground." I say in between yawns. Already my machete is in hand, dried blood staining the sharp silver blade.

"You, Michonne and Gabriel are the only ones with blades. Guns'll bring more of them to our location. You three hold them off, i'll find us a way out of this hell hole."

_CAROLINE'S POV _

Virginia is colder than I imagined it.

I can see my breath escape my body in great huffs, even from inside the RV. The window is tinted with frost and fat drops of water from the gentle rain falling outside. Gray clouds fill the sky, giving the day a dull, gloomy feel.

"Doesn't this thing have a heater?" A shivering Sierra asks, rubbing her hands.

Glenn replies with a glum tone, "It's all burned out." Sierra doesn't reply.

"Where the hell are we anyways?" Jordan asks from the way back. I fumble with my huge map, trying to pinpoint where we are.

"Somewhere around Charlottesville, I think."

"Oh, can we make it to Richmond?" Noah asks.

"Uh, yeah, we could go there I suppose. Don't have anywhere else to go. Don't you have family there or something?" I reply.

"Yeah, my uncle lived there. I was with him before I went down to Atlanta to look for my parents."

"Does anybody else know about this?" Glenn asks with renewed optimism.

"Elijah might, if he remembers...maybe they went to Richmond? Well, whoever he's with." Noah says.

Jordan jumps into the conversation. "I don't know...Richmond is a big city. Most likely, there's a lot of those walkers there. Probably other people. It could be really dangerous."

"That's a good point." I interject.

"But we don't have anywhere else to go." Glenn starts. "And we're running low on like everything. There's no doubt that there are walkers in the city, and a lot of them, but that could mean a lot of the stores are untouched."

"It's worth a shot, I guess." Jordan agrees.

"And he didn't exactly live in the city. There's a gated community near the city. Maybe it's still there." Noah says.

I give Glenn directions to Richmond, and just like that, we've changed course. During the drive, I head to the back to have a small lunch with everybody. Well, everybody _except_ Maggie. She's been extremely reclusive since the church two weeks ago. The only person i've seen her close to is Glenn, and that in itself is rare these days.

We eventually run out of gas a couple hours later. We're forced to spend the night on the side of the road. The rain subsides long enough for Sierra and I to gather firewood and for Jordan to start a fire for us. Noah and Tyreese set up a perimeter, rigging a wire around the RV and the surrounding area with empty cans attached. Although we'd likely see any walkers coming by the time they hit the fence, it's hard to see in the dark. Especially when the clouds are blocking the moon.

I spend the entire time pouring over the map, trying to figure out the fastest way to Richmond. I spot a small town near our location. Tyreese and Sierra agree to with me to forage for gas and other supplies tomorrow.

Maggie excuses herself early, heading into the forest for a "walk", but I know better. Glenn tells me to make sure she's alright. With the darkness, I have to use a flashlight. It seems Maggie didn't bring one. After ten minutes, I don't find her.

"Maggie?" I call out softly, aware of the other dangers in these dark woods. I don't get a response. Is she okay? If she gets lost or dies, Glenn will just completely shut down. Taking a huge risk, I start calling her name louder and louder, shining the flashlight all around. A sudden sound draws my attention behind me. It sounded like a branch bending, or something like that.

When I turn around, I see Maggie hanging by the neck, clawing at her throat, wide eyes staring at me.

_ALEX'S POV_

"It's empty. Let's go." Rick says solemnly, turning away from the prison ruins. A few days ago, he had this sudden idea that somebody might've ended up crashing here at the prison, but one look at the enormous amount of walkers surrounding the place shut his idea down. The towers have stopped smoldering at this point, a month after they initially were blown up.

"It was a long shot anyways." Daryl comments. Together, Rick, Daryl, Joan and myself pile back into the suburban and travel back to the rest of the group a couple miles away. At least we know, I guess. In the last two and a half weeks, we've checked miles and miles of forest, houses, Terminus, and now the prison. We've had absolutely no leads anywhere. Perhaps the only good thing that's happened is that I've been able to walk on my own for a week now. My left leg still feels vulnerable, but I'm getting used to it. I kept the medical boot Dr. Edwards gave me, incase somebody else needs it.

"Rick, I don't think they're anywhere in the area anymore. We would've found them by now." Carol says once we get back to camp; an average sized farmhouse with a simple wooden fence surrounding the property. Rick runs his hands through his mop of greasy black hair, in deep thought.

"They're all probably north of here by now. Whoever's left." Daryl comments.

"Don't say that." Carl interjects. "They're all still alive. I know it. Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, everybody."

"Bob and Sasha died right under our noses, what's to say that nobody else is dead?" Carol retorts, silencing Carl effectively. He just glares at Carol for a brief moment before storming off into the house.

"What? I'm not sugarcoating anything. We're in a tight spot here, in case none of you have noticed. After the prison fell, we were all scattered in little groups, and it was dumb luck that we all found each other again. This time? I don't know, it's not looking that good." Even though I know Carol is absolutely right, I can't help but hold out hope that Connor is still alive, somewhere. Someplace.

"Well, we know they've most likely moved on by now. I'd say they ain't in Georgia anymore. Maybe South Carolina or Tennessee or something." Daryl says.

"Yeah, sure. We'll head there in the morning. Whatever." Rick says in a hoarse voice.

"Rick, it's not even noon..." Joan starts.

"I don't care. We're staying here for the day." Rick says, walking off towards the house.

"What's his problem?" Joan asks when Rick is out of earshot.

"He's stressed, aren't we all?" I say.

"No, something's different about him. Even before the prison he was never this cold." Daryl says, resting against the meek wooden fence. Thunder claps echo in the distance.

"We better get inside, it's gonna rain soon." Carol says, leaving our conversation in the past. We all make for the house. We'll all be stuck in the house for tonight, it seems. At least I have Ashley and Elijah to keep me distracted from Connor. Well, kind of. No matter what I do, I can't stop thinking of all the horrible scenarios. It's even replaced those horrible dreams about my evil step dad.

By sunset, it's lightly raining, the rain drops making a pattering sound on the roof. Elijah, Carl and I share one of the few bedrooms. Ashley stays with Carol and Joan, the only three in the group of the female persuasion. Rick and Daryl share the third room with Judith. Eugene has the last room all to his little lying self.

The farmhouse itself is pretty impressive. Only two stories, but whoever lived here kept the place in style. The only real problem with it is the gaping hole in the roof, exposing over half of the upstairs area to the elements. Carol gathers us all together in the expansive living room for dinner, which is basically sitting around the fire and wishing we had something to eat. Times have been hard.

"So, where are we going tomorrow?" Carol asks after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.

After nobody else speaks up, I ask "What do you think we should do?" Rick's wary gaze centers on me, and I can't help but squirm a little bit. It's chilling.

"Personally, I think we should follow the coast. We'd have the ocean at our backs. Source of food, and one less thing to worry about."

"Nice plan." A strange voice says. I turn to see three armed men standing at the stairs. "Too bad you won't get to ever use it."


	2. Chapter 2: Handling Thangs

_CAROLINE'S POV _

"Maggie!" I rush forward and lift Maggie's legs up in the air, taking some of the strain off of her neck. She takes a long raspy breath, but at least she's alive. How am I going to get her down? Possibly, I could use my knife to cut her down, but I can't reach the rope. And honestly, do I want to give Maggie a knife in the suicidal situation she's in? Is she even conscious?

"Maggie, can you untie the noose? I can't reach it." With my flashlight lying on the ground, I can't tell if she nods or what. All I hear is more raspy breathing, almost like growling..._wait a minute!_ That's not Maggie making that noise. Right there, the snapping of the branch, there's a walker coming at me!

Resting Maggie on my shoulder, I draw my knife with the other hand. I can't bend down and grab the flashlight without choking Maggie. The walkers' snarls get closer, and still I can't tell where the hell it is.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!" I scream. I can't be that far away from camp, they'll hear me. All I have to do is hold out long enough for them to find me. The lone walker finally comes into sight, illuminated by the flashlight. It's a ugly thing. Tattered grey clothes cling to it's soggy wet body. Rotten teeth snap open and shut, emanating a haunting clacking noise in the silent forest. Bad news for me is that it's on the side where Maggie is resting on my shoulder. Either I let it bite one of us or I let go of Maggie to deal with it.

It's hard, but I move out from underneath Maggie to tackle the living corpse. My momentum brings us into the wet mud. A horrible noise escapes Maggie's lips as the rope snaps back into place, cutting off her oxygen. Oh god, I hope it didn't break her neck. I silence the moans of the walker with a swift stab into its brain. The mud is slick, and I slip, but once again I lift Maggie into the air.

"Get that damn noose off!" I yell. No response, not even any ragged breathing. She could be dead. I killed her, I think over and over again. Another walker appears in front of the fallen flashlight. I killed her. _I failed_. It slips in the mud. _Glenn's gonna be so devastated_. It's up again, snarling at its next meal. _He's going to kill me_. Clammy cold hands grip my arm. _This is the end_. Black blood and brain matter explodes from the head of the walker, thoroughly coating my face. It falls, revealing Tyreese a couple feet behind with a pistol. I didn't even hear him fire off the shot.

Glenn breaks through the foliage behind him, followed by Jordan and Sierra. A mangled "Maggie!" escapes him as he rushes forward, machete in hand. He completely ignores me as he climbs up the tree and cuts the rope. Unable to support Maggie's dead weight, I slip in the mud, sending us both falling with a loud smacking noise when we hit the ground.

Walker muck and mud cover my face, making it even harder to see. Flashlights from the rest of the group bob up and down wildly, making me even more disoriented. A hand grabs mine and pulls me to my feet. A rag is pressed into my face. I get the idea, and begin wiping away the mud and blood. My helper is Noah, I realize once I can actually see clearly again.

"Thanks." I mutter, handing the rag back to him. He simply nods in return.

"Maggie, Maggie wake up!" Glenn pleads as he shakes Maggie's unresponsive body. A deep red line can be seen around the underside of her neck. Already deep blue and purple bruises are forming around it. Glenn checks her pulse by placing two fingers on her neck. Alarmed, he listens for her breath.

"She's not breathing!" He announces, voice full of dismay. He begins to preform CPR, checking every couple seconds for breathing or a pulse. Everybody else watches on, knowing that most likely Maggie is dead. I hate to even think about it, but people have died throughout history. Being a former history teacher, the idea of death had never really had an impact on me until I saw it first hand, back when this whole mess began.

"She's gone, man." Jordan says once it becomes certain his efforts are in vain.

"Don't say that!" Glenn shouts. Two walkers appear in the thicket of trees close by. Tyreese goes to dispatch them.

"I hate to admit it man, but it's done. She chose her own path. There was nothing we could do." Jordan steps forward, his custom knife in hand. Glenn looks at him like he's insane.

"What the hell do you think you're gonna do with that?"

Jordan lets out a shaky breath. "She's going to turn. I can't let that happen."

"She's not DEAD!" Glenn roars, returning to his efforts of reviving his wife. Jordan steps forward, but Sierra stops him with a firm hand on his shoulder. Tyreese returns, leaning down to speak to Glenn.

"Glenn. GLENN!" He says when Glenn doesn't respond the first time. "You gotta let her go. You tried, but it's too late." In response, Tyreese is pushed to the ground by Glenn.

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

"Okay, i've had enough of this." Jordan mutters, "Glenn, get out of my way."

"You'll have to make me." He retorts, rising up to meet Jordan eye to eye.

Just as a fight is about to break out, Maggie's eyes pop open.

_ELIJAH'S POV _

"Who the _hell_ are you guys exactly?" I ask out of annoyance. These three stupid fucks think they can come in armed with automatic rifles and take us out? _Are you kidding me?_

"Doesn't matter." One of them responds in a thick Texan drawl. Kind of like Abraham's. Long tangled brown hair falls in thick curtains around his rat face, coated with dirt. The other two look even worse. Several teeth are missing between the three of them.

"Well, kudos to you for sneaking up on us. Wanna medal or something?" I sit on dresser farthest away from the fire, closest to the thugs. They look at me with contempt, but turn away when Daryl speaks up.

You here to take our stuff, bud?" Daryl asks.

"Yup."

"Well have fun with that. We got nothing to take." He stands up, not even bothering to take his crossbow off his back. The three guys look at each other confused.

"We'll be the judges of that." The leader says.

"I don't think so." Rick says. "Listen, I'll give you guys 10 seconds to get out of here and never come back. If you do that, I will allow you to live. Otherwise, we'll have to get rid of you ourselves."

"Those are some mighty strong words from an old man." The leader starts. "I think we'll stay here. You two, go search the rest of the house. I'll keep them here."

"Move and i'll shoot." Carol warns, holding up her huge gun. The marauders hesitate. It's funny because I know for sure that she's completely out of bullets.

"I think i'll start by taking that gun. Hand it over, hag."

"You think you got the upper hand? Really?" Eugene says unexpectedly, rising from his position on the floor. _Great, the liar has the floor_. "You don't wanna kill us, and you wanna know why? I'm in touch with scientists in Washington D.C, and I know exactly how to end this whole thing." Wasn't expecting that.

The thieves' resolve breaks. Slowly, they all lower their weapons. "Really?"

I look over at Alex with a smile plastered on my face. This whole thing is so ridiculous. He points at his thigh, and then at me. For a second i'm confused._ I have fat thighs? What?_ I look at my leg to see what he's talking about. My eyes lay rest on my gun holster. Oh. I nod at him in response. From my position sitting on a dresser by the wall, I have a great side view of them. Easy shots.

"Yup. I've arranged this whole group here to escort me. You three gentlemen can join if you wish. Do you want to have a hand in saving the world?" As the three men debate amongst themselves, I slip my gun out of its holster. When they turn to speak to Eugene again, I open fire. The leader drops dead with a bullet lodged in his skull. The other two turn to me alarmed, but two more bullets from Rick shut them up forever.

"Finally somebody shut them up." Daryl says once everything is over.

"Good job Eugene. That was amazing." Joan says. Several others nod in agreement. I thought I would never hear "good job" and "Eugene" in the same sentence, but there's a first time for everything I guess.

"Just doing my part." He says in his awkward tone. I have to admit, that was pretty clever. Maybe he could be of some use after all. Who knows? I guess liars have their uses.

"Somebody search them, and somebody else see where they came from." Rick says. Daryl goes to find out where they entered.

"I'll check 'em." I say, hopping down from the dresser. Joan and Alex come to help me. Besides the automatic rifles, we find two pistols almost out of ammo and a hunting knife. Alex claims a pair of leather boots off of the leader, tossing his worn away shoes into the fire.

"Only if I had a flannel shirt and a cowboy hat." He muses.

"We'll find some for you, cowboy." I say. After the excitement, everybody returns to their positions around the fire. However this time, it doesn't stay silent.

"We push north tomorrow." Rick says out of the blue.

"Are we following the coast?" Carol asks.

He shakes his head, "No. We'll take one of the Interstates. Should reach Washington D.C within the week."

_KAT'S POV _

The first walker that get too close gets its head cut off by Michonne.

The next two are sliced open by Gabriel.

Seeing a horde of undead clumsily pushing up a flight of stairs would be pretty funny if they weren't blocking our only exit. As I kill two more undead I wonder why we didn't have the staircase blocked off. It doesn't matter now, though. Behind me I hear glass breaking. They must be planning to escape out of a window. But it's a long drop, though.

"There's too many!" Gabriel yells.

"We just need to hold them off!" Michonne responds, slicing a walker's head down the middle. The bodies are starting to pile up now, but the walkers continue to stumble forward, tripping over them like they don't care. Well, because they don't. They see us as their next meal, what's a few obstacles in their path to stop them from getting what they want?

Suddenly, Gabriel falls back as two walkers chase after him. Michonne and I continue to keep the dead in check on either side. If we leave our posts, we'll be overrun. Gabriel falls flat on his ass, backing up against a couch. He kicks the first walker back into the second, causing them to fall over. He takes advantage of this by jumping on them. Gabriel makes quick work of them with a few quick slashes. He falls back in line just as a new wave of walkers come up the stairs.

Michonne starts kicking them back down the stairs. The tumble over one another like dominos. "Start throwing bodies down there! We need to cut them off." With the threat momentarily deterred, the three of us begin hauling dead walkers down the stairs. There's at least 15 of them. We throw them length wise so they end up making a sort of ramp over the stairs.

Taking a momentary break, I turn toward Abraham. "Abe, can we get out yet?"

"Almost done! We just need to secure this rope to the window and then we can shimmy our way down and get the hell out of here. Tara, hand me that hammer!" Tara scurries over to Abe with a hammer in hand. Rosita and Connor look ready to get the hell out of here.

"They're coming." Gabriel says in a grim tone. Peering down the stairs I see the walkers have started to climb over the corpses now. I have to give them credit for trying, I guess. The hungry moans and growls echo in the cramped stairwell. It's hard to imagine that these were all once _people_.

Michonne breaks me out of my trance. "C'mon Kat, we've done enough. We gotta get out of here."

"Oh, yeah. Let's go." The three of us run to the opposite side of the penthouse where Abraham and the rest are ready to go.

"Okay, it's clear down below. Don't fall and don't die. I'll go last. Michonne, you're going first in case we get company down on the ground." Silently, Michonne sheaths her katana and grips the rope tightly. She slowly descends out the window and down the building, clutching onto the rope for dear life. I see that it touches the ground, so at least I don't have to make any jumps.

I remember the last time I watched somebody exit through a window. Way back when there was still a sense of government, a group of assholes broke into Dad and I's house. I watched one of Isaac's sisters jump out the window to sneak back around to the front and ambush them because I didn't have the stomach to jump. Ever since then i've had a fear of heights.

"Kat, you're up." Tara says gently, readjusting my backpack. Inside, I still carry Bessy the shotgun and my original shotgun, along with clothes and a couple good books from the library a couple weeks ago. I lost my bow and arrows on the road, sadly. My whole body shakes as I grip the rough rope. Perched on the windowsill, I feel the bitter cold wind whip my hair every which way. Michonne is already half way down. Here goes nothing.

I swing my body outside, careful not to let go of the rope. My boots hold surprisingly well on the building. I won't slip at least. I begin the slow decent down, essentially walking down the building backwards. The whole experience is nerve racking, and at least a dozen times i'm sure i'll fall to my death, but it all works out well.

When I finally feel solid ground beneath my feet, I collapse from exhaustion. Michonne is there to help me up. No walkers are in sight, thankfully. The rest of the group are all working their way down the rope, Rosita the closest to us. It appears that we may all get out of this unscathed, but it all goes to hell.

From the window where we escaped, several walkers appear. Those stupid things begin crowding against the window until one falls out. It plummets all the way down to the cement in front of Michonne and I, spraying blood everywhere. More follow suit, one almost hitting the rope. Rosita jumps the last 10 feet down, slipping on walker muck.

"They're gonna hit somebody!" She says breathlessly as we watch on. Tara hears this from halfway up. She kicks a window in and calls for Connor to come with her. Together they duck through the window and out of sight. Gabriel and Abraham give up climbing and slide down the rope fireman style.

"Tara!" I yell. She doesn't respond. Hell, I don't even know if she can hear me. I turn to the group. "We need to go and get them!" Gunshots ring inside the building. We cautiously run around to the front of the building to find it clear.

"Flashlights on, we're going in!" Abe announces. We all turn on our flashlights and advance. The first floor is completely devoid of walkers. Journeying up the stairs, we run into a couple strays, but Gabriel dispatches them quietly. Another gunshot rings out two floors down. We race down, fanning out when we arrive on the floor. A long hallway greets us, rooms on each side.

"Tara! Connor!" We all call out, but nobody responds. We begin to search the rooms. Towards the end of the hallway we find the broken window. Blood stains several shards of glass around it. I don't see them outside.

"We've lost them."


	3. Chapter 3: Beautiful Nightmares

_ALEX'S POV_

_I find myself immobilized in the clouds. Glued to them as if I was part of them. Various landscapes pass beneath me as the clouds continue on their path. Overgrown pastures that haven't been farmed in years. Abandoned cities slowly being swallowed whole by an overgrowth of vegetation. Sparkling blue rivers and lakes. _

_Suddenly, the clouds halt their advance on a scene of horror. On the ground below, a lone survivor finds themselves surrounded by a horde of undead that stretches as far as the eye can see. The brave warrior, armed with an axe, slashes away at the corpses, buying themselves a few more precious moments of life. But I know it's in vain. Why am I forced to watch this? _

_I find myself lowering towards the ground, where I can get a better view of the slaughter. I don't want to see this, why can't I control my movements? Alas, as hard as I try to break away from my descent, I cannot. My body has completely melded with the clouds, rendering me incapable of movement. The scene below slowly comes into focus, although I wish it hadn't. I don't want to watch this poor individual get torn apart. _

_Not just an individual, I realize. My brother. _

_Yes, now that I can see clearly, I can make out his mop of raven black hair drenched in sweat and blood. No, what's going on? Where are the others? "Connor!" I try to yell, but I don't have a mouth to yell with. His face is contorted with fatigue, yet he continues to swing his axe, albeit at a slower rate than before. The walkers slowly close in on him. No! I have to help! I try in vain to struggle against my invisible bonds, but I come upon the horrible realization that I no longer have any control over myself. _

_The cloud starts to move away just as I see Connor slip in a pile of blood. His axe goes flying into the crowd of walkers. Rendered completely and utterly defenseless, he curls up into a ball as he disappears from view. The whole scene is out of view now, faded to black, but I can hear his screams of agony as he's torn apart. One word yelled over and over again. My name. _

_"Alex! Alex help me!" _

_The sinister laughter of my step father grows as the screams fade away into oblivion-_

"Wake up, dammit!" I'm met with a hard slap to the face. A blinding light obscures my vision. What the hell is going on? I kick out wildly with both of my feet into the light, attempting to fend off any attackers. I hear somebody fall off of the bed. _This is my chance to escape!_

"I have to save him!" I yell, jumping off of the bed. Before I get to the doorway i'm tackled to the ground from behind. Strong hands hold my arms down, but I manage to swing the back of my head into their face. They release their grip. I scramble for the door again, but something latches onto my previously injured ankle. In a fit of pain I fall to the ground in a slump of defeat.

"Alex, chill out man! It's me!" In my feral state, I barely recognize the voice to be Elijah's.

"Eli?"

"Yeah, i'm here. You wanna explain what that was all about? Bad dream?" It slowly dawns on me that I had just suffered through a horrible nightmare. Connor wasn't being eaten alive somewhere. It was all just some stupid dream. _But why is my face wet with tears? My shirt soaked in sweat? How come it seemed so real?_

"Yeah." My voice is hoarse and weak.

"Okay then. You had us scared to death, screaming and thrashing around all over the bed. Thought you were having a damn seizure or something." My vision slowly comes back to me, allowing me to see Ashley huddled in the corner of the room staring at me with wide, panic filled eyes. Rick and Carl stand in the hallway watching me with pity as the situation dawns on them.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Come lie down, we'll talk about it." Elijah says in a voice completely not his own.

"Sure." I try to stand, but either i'm too jittery or my ankle is acting up because I end up falling down again. Rick and Carl come in the room, together lifting me to the bed. I notice Rick gives Elijah a worried look.

"I got this, Rick. You guys can go and rest."

"I'll stay." Carl announces.

"Thanks Carl, but I think everybody needs to give him some space." Seeing the obvious brushoff, he storms out of the room with his dad. "You too, Ash." Ashley quickly walks out of the room, staring at me the whole time. I don't think she's ever seen me so vulnerable before. Once everybody is gone, Elijah sits on the bed with me. I don't have the power to talk, so I simply rest my head in his lap and cry the night away.

The morning brings more rain. Carol says its been raining all night, and judging from the amount of mud outside, we won't be going anywhere today. There's nothing to eat for breakfast, so I just imagine I eat something. Today, I'm having eggs and sausage, with a side of pancakes loaded with thick maple syrup. Daryl and Rick declare they are going foraging. Carl elects to go with them. They put Carol in charge before heading out on foot into the torrential storm. Carol has the rest of us fortify the house. She puts Elijah and I on watch out on the front porch.

"How are you feeling?" He asks in a tentative tone, watching the rain pelt the front steps.

"Honestly, I don't even know anymore. One second i'm all optimistic and i'm feeling good, but the next I shatter into a million pieces blown away in the wind. Like some kind of twisted roller coaster ride." I gush, because honestly I don't care how crazy or mental I sound at this point.

"I know that feeling, trust me." He takes a shaky breath. "You wanna talk about last night?" Elijah looks at me for the first time, the complete opposite of his usual self. _Where did this soft and caring Eli come from?_

"I had this horrible nightmare. Connor was overwhelmed with walkers while I was forced to watch. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't do anything. I think the worst part was how he screamed out to me for help as he was torn apart. It's the only thing I dream about when I manage to sleep anymore."

"Well, I've been sleeping near you for the last three weeks and that's the first time you've had a scene like that."

I'm quick to defend my outburst. "Usually I can keep it under control."

"Don't strain yourself too much." Elijah says, "Back in the Terminus chain gang, every night after, well, you know, I would cry myself to sleep. But sleep just brought more nightmares, and sometimes they were worse than what I dealt with during the day. Seeing people I loved torn apart every single night...it takes a toll on you, but you can persevere through it.

"Or when Beth got shot right in front of me, it still leaves me with chills whenever I think about it. It was especially bad right after, the first couple days. But it gets better. We'll find your brother and everybody else, don't worry."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"We found each other, didn't we?"

_KAT'S POV_

"Where the fucking _FUCK_ could they be?" Abraham curses, punching the side of the house. We've spent the whole day searching through the small town, but there's been no goddamn sign of them. We haven't heard any gunfire, seen any tracks, heard any vehicles, absolutely nothing. It's almost as if they disappeared into thin air.

"Guys, we gotta go." Rosita points out a growing crowd of walkers stumbling their way down the street.

"Where are we even going? We don't got a car." Michonne growls in a frustrated tone.

"Keep going north, we'll hole up in a building or something." Abe says, his decision final. We barely manage to stay ahead of the walkers as we run up the road. The small town fades into the distance and the sun starts to set by the time we find a small farmhouse to stay in. This quickly turns into a problem. The walkers know where we are, and if we don't leave soon, they'll surround us.

"Damn it! We have to take 'em out." I say, already dreading the deed that has to be done.

"You're right. Let's go." Abraham agrees. We await in a line as the 30 or so walkers stumble and shuffle up the country road. "It's simple. Each of us takes out six deadies and this is all over." He remarks, taking out his knife.

I kill the first walker, a walking skeleton the shade of rotten meat. Its head rolls onto the asphalt as I go to work on the next one. I stab this one quickly, kicking it off to the side with a grunt. The third walker sneaks up on me, but I manage to flip it over onto the ground. It gets its head curb stomped. Two more walking dead step forward. I slash at their faces, but my blade doesn't go deep enough.

Slightly rattled, I kick one back while I tackle the other. Rotten skin dissolves in my hands as I lift its head up. Isaac's machete ends its reanimation. The other walker grabs my backpack, trying to take a bite out of my neck. I roll out of its reach. Michonne slices the walker's head in two for me. Looking around, I see we've cleared all of them.

"Fun times." Rosita says dryly as she cleans her knife. I take the opportunity to wipe the blood on my weapon off on one of the walkers. The tip is still deformed and warped where the bullet hit it. It's a nasty looking groove. We get lucky. The house appears to have remained untouched. We clear out the pantry and feast upon the contents. Stale potato chips and cold soup has never tasted so good.

"I hope they're alright." I think out loud after we finish eating.

"They are. Connor's a tough kid, and Tara will watch over him." Rosita says, resting her hand on my shoulder.

"It's just the not knowing that hurts the most. They could have been taken down ten minutes after we lost them and not ever know. Maybe they found the others and they're all together except us. Maybe everybody's all dead."

"We'll find 'em." Michonne comments. "Rick, Daryl, Tara and Connor, Sasha, everybody. Just give it some time."

"It's been three weeks Michonne!" Abraham bursts out.

"They're all strong. None of you know them like I do. We've been through all kinds of nasty shit together." She purses her lips the way only she can. "Rick said go north, so we go north until we find him. They'll try for Washington. If they are, we have to meet them there."

"If we even survive that far." Gabriel chirps in. "We have next to nothing in supplies."

"We'll make a run then." I say.

"Where?"

"Raliegh. We're only 15 miles out." Michonne announces.

"It'll be just like Atlanta." Abe points out.

"No, I don't think so. The government evacuated the east coast extensively from Washington down to Raleigh before shit hit the fan too hard. It wasn't napalmed like Atlanta was."

"So? Walkers could have just wondered back into the city. There has to be people there." Rosita says.

"We still have to try. The cities all fell early before too much looting happened. I say we go to Raleigh."

"We don't got nothing to lose." I chime in.

"Whatever." Abraham says. "We can try, but the second we see walkers we're out of there."

"Fair enough." Michonne says.


	4. Chapter 4: A Moment Most Opportune

_CAROLINE'S POV _

"Are we still going on a run today?" Noah asks as we sit around the morning fire. Everybody is here except for Glenn and Maggie. They've kept to themselves since the incident last night.

"If you want to, we can go right now." I tell Noah, unfolding the map. "I think we're close enough that we could maybe swing by that place you were talking about." His eyes light up like a kids on Christmas.

"Really? We better get going then!" He scoops up his backpack and stands up abruptly.

"Anybody else coming with?"

"Yeah." Both Jordan and Tyreese say at the same time.

"I'll hang back and keep an eye on those two." Sierra says, nodding towards Glenn and Maggie's tent.

"Sounds good."

Instead of taking the RV, we begin to walk down the road in hopes of finding another vehicle. The great autumn weather shows no trace of the bitter cold rain from yesterday. We can make it to the gated community Noah lived at in an hour or two with a car, but it'd take all day on foot. We get lucky a half hour down the road when we spot a car accident.

"Anybody know cars?" I ask.

"Yup. Dad used to be a mechanic." Jordan says.

We take a small break as Jordan assesses the crash. Tyreese helps him move the more battered car off of the road. Within twenty minutes he has the beat up Chevy truck running. We syphon gas from the other vehicle and move on.

As soon as we pull up to the destroyed gates I know that the gated community is vacant. Noah literally jumps out of the truck as we slowly come to a stop. He zigzags through the warped metal gates and out of sight.

"Noah!" Tyreese and I yell at the same time. Together we take off after him. Tyreese hops over the jagged ruins of the gate with ease, while I have to take my time and weasel my way through. Once I overcome the gates, I see what kind of ruin this place really is in. Huge scorched patches of earth show where most of the houses used to be. Husks of cars lay strewn throughout my eyesight. Huge oak trees and power lines lay overturned everywhere.

I spot Tyreese and Noah in the center of the ruins, a little grassy area surrounded by road. Noah's crying echoes throughout the place. All I can think about is when I first got back to my house to see it burned to the ground, a couple weeks after this all began. I know what it's like to loose a home.

"Shh it's alright. You'll just roll with us now." Tyreese says soothingly as he pats Noah's shoulder. He shows no sign of hearing him.

Jordan finally catches up, taking one look at the scene before him and remaining silent. His expression softens as he stands next to me.

"Poor kid." He mutters.

"What are we gonna do now?" I ask.

Jordan surveys the ruins. "I don't know. Scavenge this place for what it's worth. I don't think we'll be moving camp for a couple days."

"It just sucks. I thought for a moment we could actually find people here."

"I don't know if I want to be near other people after the last place I was at." Jordan remarks, "It was ran by this psychopath. I can't even talk about it."

"You don't have to." I pat his shoulder. "Let's scout around this place." Tyreese stays with Noah while Jordan and I check out the houses that remain standing. Walkers are scarce, but supplies sure aren't. Just inside the first house we fill both of our packs with food.

"I'm gonna bring this stuff to the truck. See if I can't bring it through the gates." I say taking off for the entrance. After some work I somehow manage to clear the wreckage surrounded the entrance, which allows me to drive the truck inside. As i'm grabbing a couple more backpacks to fill with supplies I hear leaves crunching behind me. I turn around expecting it to be Jordan or Tyreese, but I find a strange man i've never seen before.

Perhaps he looks strange because he's clean shaven and his short brown hair looks freshly washed. Maybe it's the fact that his clothes are clean, and there's no dirt on his skin. There's no rabid look of survival in his eyes, no weapon in his hands. Matter of fact, his hands are high in the air, signalling he's coming in peace.

I don't buy it at all.

"Jordan! Tyreese!" I yell, pulling out my semi automatic rifle and aiming it at this new guys head. "Get on the ground! Now!" He complies wordlessly. Tyreese and Jordan run up and frisk him, pulling out a long knife and a flare gun. Tyreese rips off his backpack and throws it towards me. I dump the contents onto the ground. Maps, license plates and a sleeping bag fall out onto the cement along with some food. Applesauce in a glass jar, granola bars, light stuff.

"What are you doing here man?" Tyreese asks aggressively while Jordan ties his hands behind his back with rope. They pull him onto his feet and drag him towards the truck.

"Who you working with?" Jordan asks, shoving his gun into the new guys face.

"I'm Aaron. Which one of you is the leader? Or is one of the people back at your camp in charge?" This man, Aaron asks innocently. Too innocently.

"You've been watching us?" I ask, astonished. He simply nods.

"How many of you are there? What do you want?!" Tyreese growls.

"I just want to talk." Aaron states. "I come from a community not far from here, I think you people would make a nice fit. We need people who've been out here. I have pictures in my backpack if you will-"

"Why do you need people from the outside, huh? You people trade slaves or something? Are you cannibals?" I interrupt Aaron. The way he phrased that sounded very suspicious.

"No, god no, nothing like that! I swear! Just check out the pictures in my backpack. They speak for themselves." While the other two hold Aaron against the truck, I rifle through the smaller pockets on his pack. The last one holds a handful of black and white pictures. At least he was telling the truth about these. I flip through the pictures, seeing normal looking neighborhoods surrounded by high walls. One picture even shows a row of solar panels.

"How do I know these are legit? These could've been taken years ago." I say, showing the pictures to Jordan and Tyreese.

"You have to trust me. Or if you prefer, come with me and i'll show you."

"We have to have more than a couple pictures to convince us to go anywhere." Tyreese says abruptly.

"Whoa, Tyreese, hold on. What are you saying?" I ask.

"I'm saying if he can prove this place is real, it's worth a shot."

"I don't know if I can believe anything he says, man." Jordan says.

"So you just shut me out? What would the others say when they find out?" Aaron asks. I take the time to knock him unconscious with the butt of my gun. "Load him in the back of the truck. I'll get Noah, then we go back to camp. See what Glenn and Maggie have to say about this guy."

"I'll scout outside the walls. He might have more people watching us." Jordan says. I race up the street towards where I last saw Noah.

He's not there.

"Dammit! Noah!" I call out. No response. Scanning my surroundings, I see a house down at the far end of the street with the door hanging ajar. I guess I'll start there. When I get near the house, I hear a struggle going on inside. Yup, he's in there.

"Noah!" I yell again. I pause at the front doorway. The noises are coming from upstairs. It takes me a minute to find the stairs, but once I do I fly up them until I finally lay eyes on Noah. Two little kid walkers flank him. Noah keeps shoving them away, although he could easily kill them. It dawns on me they must be his family.

I rush into the room. One of the walkers turns towards me, childish face contorted with hunger. I pick it up and throw it through the window, shattering the glass. The second one follows suit. When they're gone, Noah sinks into himself on the floor.

"We have to go." I say softly. He doesn't respond. I want to be more sympathetic, but we honestly don't have time.

"Can you walk?" He doesn't even look at me. I try to pick him up, but he pulls away. I'm forced to kick him in the side of the head to render him unconscious. With his limp body in tow, I exit the house and make it back to the truck. Jordan and Tyreese give me weird looks as I approach.

"Passed out from grief." I lie.

They both nod understandingly. "Throw him in the back with me and the new guy." Jordan says.

The ride home is completely silent. We arrive back at camp around midday. Sierra comes running up as we exit the truck.

"Who's that guy in the truck and why is Noah in there with him?" She asks Jordan.

"Some guy came up to us trying to lure us into going to his camp." Jordan says bluntly.

"What? Where is the camp?"

"He didn't say."

"Where are Glenn and Maggie?" I ask.

Sierra answers with "Still in the tent."

"Go and get them or wake them up or whatever. We have to talk. All of us."

Glenn and Maggie emerge from their tent silently. A ripe red and purple line runs under Maggie's chin from where the rope dug into her skin. She looks to be in complete disarray. Glenn looks better, but it's obvious he's been crying. Noah wakes up suddenly and falls out of the truck. Tyreese calms him down. Once we're all assembled, I decide to take charge.

"Get him." I tell Tyreese. He returns moments later with Aaron in tow. He's awake now. He's put in the middle of our circle. "This man has tried to persuade us to coming to his community close by. We figured we'd let you guys weigh in on our decision."

"Glenn, Maggie, and Sierra, right?" Aaron asks.

Glenn looks at me in confusion. "You told him our names?"

"No. He's been watching us." I reply. Glenn suddenly appears alert. He scans the fields and forest around us.

"How many more of you are there?" Glenn asks harshly, his attention fully now on Aaron.

"Five. Seventeen. Nobody. Even if I told you, none of you would believe me."

"How many?" Jordan growls.

"Just one other." Glenn scoffs at Aaron's answer.

"See, you don't believe me. But you should believe this, I'm telling the truth. I'm from a community close by. We need people who've been outside, who can protect us. People who know how to survive out here. I can take you there however you want to go, but I insist that you at least try."

Glenn asks, "And what if we don't?"

"Then you can go on your merry way to wherever you people are going and I'll go back and we'll never see each other again. Promise."

"Yeah, I don't believe you. Caroline, Tyreese, can we talk?" Glenn pulls us aside. "I don't trust this guy at all, but we can't just let him go. I can't risk any of us getting killed."

"He has pictures." I say, offering the hand full of blurry black and white pictures to Glenn. He looks at them with skeptical eyes.

"He could've found these anywhere."

"I think we should at least try." Tyreese enters the conversation.

"What? Why?" Glenn asks.

"What the hell else are we gonna do? We've been wondering around out here for weeks now, we don't got nothing else to look forward to. And think about it, what if he's really telling the truth? Not everybody can be bad, I refuse to believe that."

"We can't survive another Woodbury Tyreese. Another Governor, or another Terminus. It's too dangerous."

"We can't just let him go, either. If he's dangerous, he'll follow us and try something." I throw in.

"What are you two saying?"

"We need to at least give Aaron a chance." Tyreese says.

"How can you guys say that? Everybody that's promised us sanctuary has tried to kill us. There aren't any good people out here anymore."

"I disagree." I say, "You guys found me. We found Sierra and Jordan and they're good people. What Aaron's offering, if it's legit, it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity now. If we don't even follow up on this, what are we surviving for? Just for the sake of waking up every morning and killing more walkers and struggling to find food? Because that's not what i'm doing. I'm leaving with Aaron, and I suggest you come with me."

Glenn rubs his temple. "I suppose. But I'm not taking any chances. We find out where his camp is, and he stays tied up. If anything he's told us turns out to be a lie i'll kill him on the spot. Deal?"

"Deal." Tyreese and I say at the same time.

Glenn fills the others in on our next move. SIerra looks happy. Jordan looks skeptical like Glenn, while Maggie scoffs and flees back inside the tent.

"Thank you so much. You won't regret this." Aaron says.


	5. Chapter 5: Bent But Not Broken

_KAT'S POV_

Fat raindrops make the distant skyline of Raleigh smudged, blurry even. Even from this far away I can still see some of the most prominent ruins, such as huge chunks of buildings that have magically disappeared. Off to the west the first signs of sunlight pierce over the horizon. I've been driving our newly acquired minivan all night. Three times i've had to wake Rosita up to help me navigate around car crashes or avoid small packs of walkers.

Each time I had her help me move cars out of the road I hoped that we would find Tara or Connor sleeping in one of them. That turned out to be a deluded fantasy. We had a few scary run ins with stray lurkers, but nothing serious went down. No signs of the living anywhere.

"Wake up sleepy head, we're almost there." I nudge Rosita's shoulder. She wakes up with a shudder, nearly banging her head on the ceiling.

"What?! Oh." She says as the situation dawns on her. I smile.

"Wake up the others. We'll enter the city on foot." I pull over the car as Rosita starts poking at the three in back to wake up. Abraham wakes up with a start as he always does, knife in hand. Gabriel wakes up from a deep slumber, curiously checking out his surroundings. Michonne is a combination of both, alert but subtle about it. You can tell alot about people by the way they wake up.

"We're ten miles out, why are we stopped?" Gabriel asks with a yawn.

I explain, "If there's any big groups in the city, I want to know about them before they know about us. The minivan is loud, on foot we're quiet."

"Smart." Abe remarks, stepping out of the van rubbing his eyes.

We spend five minutes assembling our meager supplies and eat a quick granola bar breakfast. A quick survey of the vast fields around us show no walkers in sight. That surprises me. Usually I always see at least a couple far off in the distance, hobbling their way towards a potential meal. Nope, not today I guess. Maybe the evacuation of the Eastern United States actually worked to a degree. _Maybe there aren't that many walkers in the area. _

"Told you." Michonne says, as if reading my thoughts. "I was in the area when they started the evacuation. I thought some of them would've wandered back into the area, but maybe it's all clear."

Gabriel jumps in. "That's not likely. I don't believe that a single place on God's green earth has been clear of this plague. He is judging us all with His vengeful wrath."

"You're still religious? After all of this? Really?" Abraham asks with a bored tone.

"I believe all that survive this are chosen by God." Gabriel responds.

"How do you explain all of the bad people out here then? Like the people from Terminus?" Michonne asks.

"They're simply obstacles He's put in our way to make us stronger. To test our strength."

"Fair enough." Abe says. "Let's move!"

Starting off at a brisk pace, we slow to a leisure walk once we get close to the city. The Interstate leading into Raleigh is relatively empty. Fields blend into suburbs as we finally enter the city limits. Most of the houses look well looted, but we don't hear any signature walker moans. _Which is definitely a good sign. _

Once the buildings start getting taller and taller, I raise my level of awareness. It's impossible to believe that there are no walkers anywhere in the city, but this is nothing like Atlanta was. Back there we couldn't walk a block without getting ambushed. Here however, it's quiet. Almost a peaceful kind of quiet.

"I see some deadies up ahead!" Abraham warns. The smell hits a moment ahead of the growls. Only a couple, but it spoils the heavenly fantasy I had of a walker free city. Michonne dispatches of the lone walkers with ease. More can be heard, but none are in sight.

"This place is surprisingly quiet." I say.

"We should get off the streets. If there are many walkers here, they'd be on the streets." Rosita points out a small 10 story building to our left. "That's a bank. Let's set up there for the night."

_ELIJAH'S POV_

The scouting party returns empty handed to nobody's surprise.

Rick and Daryl leave as soon as they return to continue hunting. They dump Carl off, and he doesn't seem happy about it. He goes to sit with Alex and I on the porch, but thinks better of it and stomps into the house. I don't know what he's so butthurt about anyway. I've known Alex way way longer than he has, therefore I know how to calm him down. If Carl thinks he can do better, i'd love to see him try.

"I think he's a little mad at you." Alex says with a slight sarcastic undertone. His voice is also laced with depression, which I can't simply just ignore.

"Because you chose me over him?"

Alex sighs. "I didn't choose either of you over the other. We're friends, but I think he's a little intimidated by you."

"How the hell am I intimidating? Is it my flowing blonde locks? My charming personality? Enlighten me." I try to keep the mood light, but I can feel it creeping back down into despair.

"Carl hadn't been around kids his age for a long time before I showed up. He's naturally shy, I can tell. And now you've miraculously come back from the dead and he thinks you've taken his place."

"He has nothing to fear. I'm open to sharing you a little bit." I wink seductively, but don't get the desired reaction.

"Go talk to him." Alex says.

"What?"

"You heard me, Eli. Talk to him. I don't want any drama between the two of you. Clear the air."

"Do I really have to?" I whine.

"It wasn't a question." Alex replies coldly. I can tell by this point that none of my humor will work.

"Fine, I'll go smooth things over." I retreat into the house with my tail tucked between my legs. Running through my options, I realize I can't fake talking with Carl because Alex will eventually find out. At the same time I imagine how awkward the conversation will be.

My thoughts and schemes end abruptly when I run into somebody on my way up the stairs. I catch myself on the rail just in time, turning around to see Joan practically on top of me. Her curly black hair spills all over my face.

"Well hello there." I say with a grin. She blushes.

"Sorry Elijah, wasn't watching where I was going." She rattles off.

"It was my fault, but okay. Don't stress it. Catch ya later." By the time i'm done talking she's already down the stairs and around the corner. My little altercation with Joan makes me think. Am I really such a intimidating person? I'm sarcastic, yes, flamboyant, yes, rude at times, yes, well there you have it I guess. Maybe I need to tone it down a bit. I suppose Alex deals with my personality because he's known me the longest, but people like Carl and Joan see me as an asshole it appears.

_Looks like I have to change that._

I find Carl sitting on the bed in our bedroom reading. He's taken his shoes off and set his hat next to him. I don't want to snap him out of his little zone, but Alex's voice echoes in my mind. I suppose I should set things straight. I gulp.

"Hey Carl." I call out from the doorway, trying hard not to make this more awkward than it already is. He looks up and jumps back just a little when he sees who it is.

"Hi" he says back, returning his gaze to the floor.

_This ought to be fun._

_ALEX'S POV _

The day goes by slower than most others.

I almost regret sending Elijah away as harshly as I did to make up with Carl. It needed to be done, at least in my opinion it did, but now i'm left out here on the porch all alone. Alone with my own thoughts._ And trust me, they're not very good thoughts._

After staring at the forest across the road forever, something finally changes. A lone figure stumbles out. I quickly realize it's a walker. It's just a little to far to make out any gory details, but its smell precedes it. It smells worse than a normal walker should, I think. _Why is the smell so strong?_ I plug my nose in disgust. The undead beast sets its eyes on me, but i'm not worried. It's just a single one, no harm can come from it. I pat my pistol in its holster on my thigh. _Yes_, I finally found a holster.

As the walker crosses the street I imagine a car speeding pass, obliterating the walking corpse all over the pavement. The sick thought brings a faint smile to my lips. I can even hear the sound of a car driving down the road. I close my eyes and admire the sound when suddenly I hear an actual car some screeching to a halt. Snapping open my eyes I see a beat up blue convertible hastily parked in the road. A fresh blood smear decorates the hood. A couple feet down the street lays the walker, its midsection completely smashed into mush.

"Alex get everybody! There's a herd!" Daryl calls out in a harsh whisper. His face and arms are covered in walker blood. RIck exits the car, bloody machete in hand. I snap out of my daze and stand up immediately._ That's what the smell was! _

I barely beat Daryl into the house, but we both have the same idea in mind. "Let's go! There's a herd coming this way!" Daryl yells while I run upstairs. Joan and Ashley poke their heads out of a room on the far end of the hallway.

"Get your weapons we gotta go! Walkers!" I yell out of breath. They disappear into the room. Elijah and Carl are already ready to go when I make it to our room. Both have guns drawn.

"Let's move!" I say as the five of us leave the hallway and fly down the stairs. Eugene and Carol with Judith in her hands are staring out the window in awe. I rush over to see nothing but walkers. Pouring out of the forest and coming from down the road.

"Jesus, look at them all." Carol says in disbelief. "Rick, we can't go out there."

Rick wipes some blood off of his face and onto his shirt casually. His face looks particularly grim. "I know. We're digging in."

_MEANWHILE, JUST OUTSIDE OF RALEIGH _

Tara and Connor were barely keeping ahead of the small herd of walkers that had taken to following them. Both were out of ammo and out of strength. It had been a long journey leading nowhere, but both decided it was the best option to head into the city. They didn't even know which city is was, but that didn't matter. City meant buildings. Buildings meant shelter. Shelter meant safety.

The undead behind them were having a hard time moving around the various toppled cars and other debris in the road. That would have been great for Tara and Connor, but both were limping and beat up bad. Escaping from the hotel a couple days ago had really left them worse for ware.

Rounding a corner they were greeted with at least a dozen more walkers mingling around the street. Tara realized they needed to make their own path through. Wordlessly she grabbed Connor's axe out of his hands. She chopped the heads off the first three walkers that got too close, but even that took a lot of her energy. The axe clattered to the cement with a noise that should have been loud, but the moans of the dead drowned it out.

"I'm sorry." Tara muttered as the two of them backed up against a brick building.

"It's okay," Connor said weakly. "You tried."

Both had somehow come to accept their oncoming pain, but it never came. A barrage of bullets tore into the dead surrounding them. Once the oncoming dead were mowed down, a pair of big utility trucks were visable. Several people poured out, guns drawn but not at Connor and Tara. They were sweeping the area for any more walkers. One of them, perhaps the leader approached them. He appeared to be in his late fifties, judging by the wrinkles on his face and the thicket of white hair atop his head. He adjusted his glasses.

"Hello. I'm John Haliday, and I think you might need my help."

_Next time: Tara and Connor adapt to their new surroundings, a new POV is introduced, Alex, Elijah and company struggle to keep their home standing, while Glenn and Jordan have a hard time trusting in Aaron. :) ~TheChuckles_


	6. Chapter 6: Shades of Survival

_JOHN HALIDAY'S POV _

"Who the hell are you people?" The brown haired woman asks. She pushes the boy behind her protectively. "What do you want?!" She yells aggressively. For a split second I begin to doubt whether I should have intervened.

"We mean no harm, ma'am. I'm from a community not far from here, and we need people to help rebuild this city. We have food, water, and shelter if you'd be kind enough to accept my offer." I extend my arms, showing her that I don't carry any weapons. I stopped doing that long, long ago.

"How can I trust you? I've dealt with some bad people who've told me the exact same story you just told me." _She seems smart enough_, I think quietly to myself. _We need people like that._

"Mike, Sandi, give them your weapons if you'd please." The two people called upon from my scouting party oblige wordlessly, offering our guests their pistols and knives. They've been through this process before. The brown haired woman hesitates.

"Is this a bluff? What are you trying to prove here? I get it, you've got muscle, people that respect you. Seems like you don't need us." She's cautious. Maybe she could be a future leader somewhere in the S.O.P.

"The place I come from is called the State of Peace, although we aren't really a state quite yet. The only area under our control is a mall and the streets around it. I'm not the leader, a woman named Jennifer Taft is. I'm just her advisor, an old, brittle man. You've been out here for a long time, but we haven't. If you don't accept my gracious offer, you'll die out here. What do you say? Come back with us. If you don't like what we have to offer, you'll be free to leave. I give you my word. And you can keep the weapons. We have plenty."

The woman and the boy, perhaps her son, exchange looks. They both look completely wrecked, judging from the dirt caked all over their bodies. Judging from the wary, almost animalistic look in their eyes. _What happened to them?_

"We accept your offer, John Haliday. But get this, your word doesn't mean anything to us. The second any of you try something, we'll kill the whole lot of you. Understand?"

"Understood. You shouldn't feel threatened, um, I didn't catch your names..." I realize I forgot to ask them their names. _Silly me_. Must be getting old.

"I'm Tara Chambler, and this is Connor Brown."

"Greetings, Tara and Connor. Let's get going, shall we? It will be dark soon."

_CAROLINE'S POV _

"How much farther do we have to travel? You said he was only a couple miles away." Jordan asks in a harsh growl.

"Are you following the route I showed you on the map?" Aaron asks.

"Nope." Glenn answers from the driver's seat.

Aarons scoffs."Well that's why. Why aren't we following the path I showed you?"

"Why do you want us to follow it so badly? Is there some surprise waiting there for us?" Sierra asks, sitting opposite me, with Aaron in the middle.

"No, it's the fastest way there because Eric and I cleared out that road."

"Either way, we still don't trust you." Maggie rasps from the back of the RV. "Did anybody ask him the questions?"

"The questions?" Aaron and I ask at the same time.

"Tyreese, do the honors." Glenn says. Tyreese stares are Aaron from across the table.

"How many walkers have you killed?"

"Walkers? You mean those dead things? Too many to count. A couple hundred maybe?"

"How many people have you killed?" Aaron remains silent for a couple seconds. He gulps, looking at the table as if searching for answers. "Just one." He chokes out. At this, everybody turns back to look at him except for Glenn. At least he didn't say a higher number, and at least he looks like he regrets it._ That's a good sign, right?_

"Why?" Tyreese asks.

"Because she tried to kill us!" Aaron admits loudly. "Eric and I were searching for people one day and we found this woman on a horse. She seemed perfectly fine until that night when she stabbed Eric in the stomach. I had no choice but to shoot her. Otherwise she would've finished off Eric and then me!" He looks at all of us desperately. "I didn't want to do it, but she gave me no choice!"

"Is that it? Some woman tried to kill you so you killed her?" Maggie asks in a sour tone. "That's the big secret?"

"Yes." Aaron says, sounding ashamed of himself.

"We've done a lot worse for the same reason, Aaron." Tyreese says comfortingly. "But you're still a good person. I can tell."

"Tyreese may think you're okay, but i'm not so trusting." Jordan comments.

"It doesn't matter what any of us think, we're going to this place." I say, looking through the pictures of our potential home for the fourth time. The RV comes to a sudden stop, making all of us lurch forward a little bit.

"What the hell is this?" Glenn asks angrily. Noah and I run up to the front of the RV to see what he's complaining about. Outside there's a huge car crash spread all over the country road. Scraps of old rusted cars and fallen trees are strewn in such a way that nobody can pass.

"Is it a car crash?" Aaron asks. "Because that's where we're supposed to be."

"What the hell is this? A trap?!" Jordan spits furiously. He withdraws his custom knife from his belt and storms outside. I can hear him yelling.

"This is where Eric is supposed to be." Aaron says coolly, now that he's recovered from his episode.

"I'll go get him" Tyreese says, leaving the RV. I decide to tail him. Behind me, Sierra is hauling Aaron outside as well. I catch Jordan running into a patch of forest near us, the only possible hiding place in the area. The rest of our surroundings are fields. Tyreese jogs after him, disappearing in the thick trees. After running a quick scan of the area with my eyes I don't see any sign of activity, so I follow Tyreese and Jordan into the forest.

The last time I was in a forest like this, Maggie had tried to kill herself. I push that horrible memory out of my mind because I have other tasks to focus on. Also because I never ever want to relive something horrifying like that. While lost in my thoughts I collide head on with Jordan. At the last moment I curve my fall in a way to not land on his knife. We look at each other while on the ground.

"Where's Tyreese?" I ask.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Jordan says. He sheathes his knife, making the leaves on the ground rustle.

"Tyreese!" I yell.

"Shh! There could be walkers near by." Jordan warns.

"I don't care, we have to find him." A baker's dozen of scenarios flash through my mind, all horrible and ending with Tyreese dead. Where could he be? It's not that big of a forest, he couldn't have gotten lost.

"Maybe he went back to the RV." I suggest.

"What?" Sierra cuts in as her and Noah jog up to us. "We just came from there."

"Was Tyreese there?"

"No, why?" Noah asks.

"Because we can't find him." Just then I hear an agonized scream that can only belong to one person. The one person we're looking for.

_ALEX'S POV _

"Everybody stay low and stay quiet. In time they'll pass." Daryl says reassuringly. He peeks out of the bottom corner of the front window briefly. We only had time to push some furniture in front of the door and the front window before the horde was on our doorstep.

"We need to get the hell out of here Rick!" Carol argues, "A horde this size could rip this house down."

"Carol where are we supposed to go? If we try to make a run out the back they'll follow us. We just can't fly away."

A sudden thump sounds against the door. Everybody freezes as a couple more follow the first. The glass of the window is broken by a walker ramming head first into it, sending shards of glass across Daryl's hunched form. He backs away far enough to stab the beast in the base of it's skull. More of his friends are already lining up outside the broken window now that they've found a way inside. Wordlessly Joan and Carol help Daryl hold the upended coffee table in place.

"The roof!" Carl says suddenly. "There's damage to the roof, we can maybe climb out there or something."

"Yeah, yeah!" I catch onto what he's saying. "Some of the rooms upstairs have huge gaping holes in them. We could get through those and think of something."

"We do that then. You three, hold that for as long as you can." Rick says.

"I'll wait at the top of the stairs and cover them." I offer.

Rick shrugs. "Fair enough. Let's move!" Everybody except Carol, Daryl and Joan races for the stairs. Once I reach the top, I watch on as they struggle to keep the table in front of the window. I can hear Rick helping people through the gaps in the roof a couple rooms down. It's then I notice somebody brushing up against me.

"Elijah, what the hell are you doing? Get out of here." I scorn.

He smiles stubbornly. "Not until you leave. We're not getting split up again."

"Fine. Is everybody on the roof?" I ask.

"Except us yeah."

"Guys it's clear! C'mon!" I yell down to Daryl and them. They dash for the stairs as a wave of walkers pours through the broken window. The five of us run down the hallway as fast as we can, finally in the room with the biggest amount of roof damage.

"Jump on the bed!" Eugene calls to us. I go first, launching myself off of the bed high enough to grab onto the roofing. Rick and Eugene pull me up with ease. Joan goes next. She gets a weaker bounce than I did, but she still is able to grasp the edge of the roof. The three of us pull her up. Elijah and Carol go fast and easy. By the time Daryl jumps up, the first walkers begin shambling into the room.

Wasting no time, I take the first two down with headshots. Elijah takes out his gun and opens fire on the oncoming dead as well. One of them gets past our barrage of bullets long enough to grab onto Daryl's ankle. I rip Rick's machete free from it's holster on his belt, lean down, and slice the walker's head off. Rick finishes pulling Daryl up, and we can all rest for a brief moment.

The horde wasn't as big as I imagined it to be. Yes, there's easily a couple hundred walkers, but the forest behind the house isn't as crowded as the open road in the front. I take a quick head count and see everybody is here. My mind eases a huge amount when I see Ashley sitting not too far away from me. _She doesn't look as scared as she would have a couple months ago_. After the prison she was just completely terrified of walkers, but now? Not so much.

"We can slip into the forest I think." Rick says more to himself than the group. Loose strands of coal black hair hang in his eyes.

"Could we circle around and get to the cars?" Joan asks hesitantly. "We have a better chance in those than on foot."

"That's true." Elijah says.

"Okay, if we do that, we can't use guns." Rick says.

"Why not?" I ask. "If we get to those cars we can get the hell out of dodge faster than the horde can follow."

Rick scratches his burly salt and pepper beard, clearly annoyed by everybody shutting down his plans.

"Yeah." He rasps. "Let's just do that."

"Okay, we jump off right here." Daryl takes charge, standing by a low point near the edge of the roof. "Let's move before any more walkers show up over here." Joan is the first to jump down. She rolls a few feet upon landing, but she recovers enough to stab a walker in the temple. Elijah goes next, followed by me and then Ashley. Ash chops into a walker's face as Elijah and I take them down with guns. Carol and Daryl comes next, using knives.

Eugene stumbles and falls upon landing. Carol saves him from a walker closing in on him. Carl and Rick are the last to come down, careful not to disturb Judith. As a group we run for the cars perhaps 10 feet ahead of us. Daryl holds off several corpses as the rest of us pile into the cars. He jumps in a car with Elijah, Ashley, Carol and I at the last moment. Carol puts the pedal to the metal, and soon enough the farmhouse is far behind us.

_JOHN HALIDAY'S POV_

"What city are we in exactly?" Tara asks from the back seat. Her and Connor have spent the last several minutes gazing out the windows in awe at the city. They specifically asked that only us three and one of my guards ride in this truck. The rest of the party is scrunched into the other truck, poor souls.

"Raleigh, North Carolina." I answer from the drivers' seat.

"Why is it so clear?" The boy,Connor, blurts.

"We've been set up here almost since the beginning. There are still packs of dead ones floating around, and occasionally some wander their way into the city. We try our best to keep it clear, but it's virtually impossible."

"How many people do you have at the..._State of Peace_?" Tara asks hesitantly.

"Just a little over 100. The name takes a little getting used to doesn't it?"

"Yeah." She replies sheepishly.

"Jennifer came up with the name. She used to be into politics, kind of still is really. She just adores the name."

Both of my guests remain silent for the remainder of the ride. The one thing I hate about driving back to the S.O.P has to be the length. I've suggested we move our headquarters to somewhere more central inside the city, but Jennifer and the Council have voted against it. They seem to like living in a mall on the outskirts of town. Farther away from the other group. I shudder to think what would have happened if those savages has found these two instead of me.

But that's a story for another day.

_Next time: John gives his new guests a tour of their new home, Kat, Abraham and Michonne make some new friends, Caroline deals with harsh reality. :) ~TheChuckles _


	7. Chapter 7: Misery

_CAROLINE'S POV_

Before I can contain myself, I yell "Tyreese!" as loud as I can. As soon as I finish I cover my mouth. Any walkers in the area have just been alerted to our location, but there must already be some near. _Or is Tyreese getting attacked by people? _

"Where is he?" Sierra asks, scanning the thin forest. Another blood curdling scream fills the air. Sierra and Jordan take off in the direction it came from. I follow behind them, gun drawn and ready to fight. I faintly hear Noah's pounding footsteps behind me over the pounding in my head. We've lost so many, we can't loose Tyreese. _Not now._ Not when we're so damn close to sanctuary.

Several gun shots blare nearby, coming from my left. The four of us simultaneously veer our paths towards the shots. We emerge into a field seconds later to see a small man aiming at a pair of oncoming walkers. He shoots both in rapid succession. Behind him, crumpled and half concealed in the knee high grass, is Tyreese.

Thick blood seeps through a large bite wound on his left forearm. He tries unsuccessfully to staunch the flow of blood with his hat, but it doesn't work. I shrug off my white coat and wrap it around his arm. Behind me I hear Jordan bring down the man with the gun. His barking voice fades while I examine the damage on Tyreese's arm. There's no way we can cure him, or just stitch up the bite wound. Even if we did it wouldn't matter. He's infected now...there's nothing we can do...

"I need a sword!" I announce desperately. By this time Glenn, Maggie and Aaron have arrived at the scene. Glenn rips his machete off of his belt and tosses it to me. I move Tyreese's arm away from his body enough so when I swing down I won't knick him accidentally anywhere else. His face is contorted in pain, his eyes distant and cloudy. Machete raised high above my head, I hesitate. My arm shakes uncontrollably. I thoughts are sent into a frenzy, but the image of Tyreese as a walker clears them. My arm comes down, blood spatters against my face. A horrible slicing sound dominates all for a brief moment.

I stare in horror at what i've done. The majority of his arm is now completely disconnected from the rest of his body. The stump near his shoulder starts to bleed profusely. Already a small pool of crimson forms underneath him. I cut too high, I think to myself. Way to high. For the first time it crosses my mind that he could actually die. Right here, right now.

I feel disconnected from my body, my head swimming with hazy thoughts of death. The machete slips through my bloody fingers and falls to the dirt. Followed by me. I'm not in control of my body anymore. My vision starts to fade, the pained noises coming from Tyreese the last thing I ever here of him before I completely shut down.

The next thing i'm aware of is a blurry hand waving in front of my face. I hazily blink a few times before it becomes clear. Maggie stares into my eyes, but all I can focus on is the dead body of my friend behind her. I killed him, I think. He died of blood loss. I could have saved him but I didn't.

"Tyreese died because of you" I hear Jordan scream. At first, I believe he is talking to me, but when I turn my head to confront him he's yelling at a stranger. A short ginger haired man with a face resembling that of a mouse. The small man that was defending Tyreese earlier.

"Jordan back off! He didn't know!" Glenn steps in between the new guy and Jordan, aggressively pushing against Jordan's chest with his own.

"What happened was a freak accident." Glenn announces.

"Whatever! This is so stupid!" Joran rants. "I suppose we're still going to their camp too? So they can kill the rest of us!"

"You need to shut the fuck up, man. And Tyreese wouldn't of even been in the forest if you hadn't run off in the first place!" Glenn spits through gritted teeth. Jordan backs down. But none of that matters. Tyreese is dead, and there's no way to bring him back.

_JOHN HALIDAY'S POV _

"This is it." I announce to my new friends as the mall comes into view, a great fortress among skyscrapers. The company that built the mall wanted it to resemble a castle from the outside, but they didn't use actual stone to build it, which is a shame. Although, they did install four watchtower like structures on each corner, originally to view the city from. They've turned into great watchtowers for us. Tara and Connor are silent as I pull up to the wall, which is composed of ruined heaps of cars and dirt.

"A car wall?" Connor asks, astonished.

"Yup. Early on, we got tired of being holed up in the mall, so we started the wall project. We didn't any convenient building equipment nearby, so we used the only thing we had: Cars and dirt. The building crew stacked the cars, and wherever there was a gap they filled with dirt. It's held up quite well against attacks."

Tara asks, "You've been attacked by people?"

"Oh goodness no, we've been fortunate enough to become the strongest community in the city. The rest of the scavengers have left, except for one last group. We've made a pact with them however, so there's no need to worry. But hordes of the dead have come to the wall. It didn't fail then, and it won't fail now." I remember the glorious day when the building crew first completed the wall, and we got to be outside in the sunlight without fear of the dead.

The gate guard, Ezekiel, good man, opens the gate for us to pass through. By this time of day, almost everybody has migrated to their homemade huts or to their residence in the mall. I notice a small group of people waiting a short distance away. For my report, no doubt.

"Come with me, if you please. I'll have someone give you tour of the mall and set you up with a room. Or separate rooms if you like, we still have plenty." Tara and Connor follow behind my snails pace as I meet the group, with Jennifer Taft at it's forefront. Her coconut colored brown hair is tied in a high ponytail, accentuating the seriousness of her face. The glasses she wears almost tame the hostile look, but the leather jacket and cargo pants only make it more potent.

"Johnathan, you've got to stop sneaking off." She says with a sad smile. The guards around her stand sharply at attention. "I see you've brought back more people."

I step aside, gesturing to my new friends. "This is Tara Chambler and her companion Connor Brown. We saved them from a pack of monsters on the other side of the city."

A wave of concern flashes across Jenny's face, but she quickly covers it. "The other side of the city you say? What were you doing over there?"

"Scavenging." I lie.

"Very well." She turns to Tara and Connor. "I'm Jennifer Taft, the president of the State of Peace. My men will escort you to your new living quarters inside the mall. We have showers, but the hot water is very limited. You'll be fed and given new clothes if you desire. We have tons of left overs from the outlet stores. I'll speak with you later tonight." Tara gives me a questioning look. I nod reassuringly. She tugs at Connor's hand, falling in line with the guards. They disappear inside the mall.

With everybody gone, President Jen is replaced with Normal Jen.

"Dammit Jon, what the hell were you doing in Zeke's half of town? If any of his scouts caught you they'd have fed you to the biters on the spot! You're an old man, don't you know that?"

"You know that he can't be trusted to hold this peace very long. He's grown more delerious since the last meeting. And I couldn't bare to think what would've happened if those two ended up in the fighting pit!"

"You have a gentle heart, Jon. Come on, you're just in time for a council meeting. We have much to discuss."

_KAT'S POV _

"What's that?" Gabriel asks, peering out of the huge penthouse windows. The building we reside in used to be a fancy bank. 10 stories tall, and we have the keys to the vault in case we need a safe room. The five of us are relaxing in one of the luxurious offices that must've belonged to a bigshot. A fire consisting of old fashioned paper money sits in the middle of the room.

"What's what?" Rosita asks in return, getting up from the comfy leather couch to see what he's staring at.

"Down there, a couple blocks away. There was a pair of utility trucks."

"So? We're not alone in the city then." Abe says from across the room.

"There could be gangs here," Michonne interjects, "In place of walkers. We have to be careful where we go. If Connor and Tara are here, they might've been taken by one of them."

"We can't fight big groups of people." I say. "five of us against thirty of them? They have more people, more guns, more everything. We have to lay low."

"I agree with Kat. We need to sneak around, get a lay of the land. We need weapons and more supplies that what we've got here." Michonne gestures to the half empty backpacks we all carry. "We can go on a quick run across the street. I saw a grocery store there."

"Place is probably already picked clean." Abraham says dryly.

Michonne shoots a glare his way. "I don't care, but we have to try. That's all we can do anymore."

"I'll go with you." I say.

"Me three." Abe says surprisingly. "You'll need the muscle."

"What if something happens here?" Gabriel asks.

"On the top floor of a bank we spent all of yesterday clearing? I think you two will be just fine. We'll be back in thirty minutes." He straps his pistol onto his belt as he walks down the stairs. Michonne and I follow, machete and sword in hand.

A few stragglers from the pack earlier still roam the street. Abraham simply bypasses them, leaving them to Michonne and I. All of them are horribly decomposed, skeletons with rotten flesh affixed to them. I disconnect their heads from their bodies with one quick slash. The heads fall to the asphalt, still snapping at us.

Like Abraham said, the grocery store is pretty much picked clean. Dusty sunlight shines in through the front windows, surprisingly still intact. A quick sweep of the place proves there are no walkers lurking in the shadows. With that out of the way, each of us grab a cart and begin to scavenge.

All that I can find are a couple boxes of cheep off brand cereal and a jar of peanut butter. Hardly worth putting in the cart. My companions have the same luck, i'm afraid. Between the three of us we find enough to fill one empty backpack.

"Oh well, it'll do for a day or two." Abe sighs disappointedly.

"Oh no it won't." A scratchy voice says. Instantly I turn towards the entrance of the store where a pack of five thugs stand. "I'm afraid you're gonna have to come with us." The leader says, wielding a metal baseball bat.

"I'm afraid we don't have to. If you have any brain stuffed in that fat head of yours, i'd turn around and run, boy." Abraham says, pulling out his pistol. He levels it at the thug's head. When he doesn't flinch, I get a strange feeling in my stomach. Fear. It doesn't appear any of them are carrying guns, but I can't be sure.

"There are more of us than there are of you, sport. Drop the damn gun." Lead Thug says.

For a long second, nobody moves.

Then all hell breaks loose.

Abraham fires his gun several times before diving behind a checkout area. He hits the Lead Thug in the chest twice. The four remaining thugs come after Michonne and I, bats and swords raised. I meet the first one in battle, machete ringing off steel bat. They clash together several more times, creating small showers of sparks. It must look majestic. He grabs for the knife on his belt. I take the chance to kick his hand, ducking down and sweeping him off his feet with my legs.

The second cronie jumps into the fight, kicking me hard in the stomach. The wind is knocked out of me, but I have enough sense left to roll out of the path of his small sword. He advances on me faster than I can back up while i'm down. He grabs a handful of my hair to lift me up. I use the momentum to kick the sword out of his hand. He looks shocked as I plunge Isaac's machete deep into his neck. A small line of blood comes out first, but as I pull the machete free, it begins to pour.

The first guy is back up and willing to give it another go. I dodge a massive bat swing, rolling off to his left. I manage to slice part of his leg, but it's nothing more than a scratch. I glance over as Michonne is fighting a thug fist to fist, while Abe is chasing the last one around the store.

"Zeke's gon be mad as you all." The thug spits. "Put you in the fighting pit on your first day." I don't respond, instead going in for the kill. He sees me coming though, and I have to pull away to avoid getting stabbed. My momentum sends me out of the grocery store and into the street. The sun blinds me momentarily, giving the creep i'm fighting the perfect chance to hit me with his metal bat.

He connects with my hip. An explosion of bone jarring pain fills my hip. I fall to the hot asphalt in retreat. He stands over me, winding up to deliver a knockout blow. Quick Kat, use your surroundings. My machete has been knocked out of my reach, but the walker heads from earlier are all around me. I grab one in a rush, extremely careful not to bring my fingers within it's biting radius. I launch the head at the thug. It works perfectly.

The head latches onto his arm, sinking its rotting teeth into his fleshy arm. The bat skitters to the ground. As he tries to pull the walker head off, I scoop up my machete and cut his head off. I hear a truck pull up behind me.

Panting and exhausted, I turn around to see another group of thugs exit their military truck. These ones have guns. Michonne and Abe stand by my side now, both bruised.

"Zeke's not gonna be very happy with you all." One of them says, grinning evilly.

_Next Time: Alex and Elijah cross paths with mysterious people, while Tara and Connor become integrated into the State Of Peace. My whole evil master plan finally gets put into motion next chapter! :D ~TheChuckles_


	8. Chapter 8: Life in The City Part 1

Chapter 8

_***Wow, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry it's taken me this long to update, this summer has really sucked for me and I haven't quite found the time to do this until now. Let's hope that I can get back to updating more. This Chapter is being broken up into two parts, because some pretty important stuff is going down. Well, kind of. This chapter is heavy on character development and all that good stuff, the calm before the storm, so to speak. :) ***_

_ELIJAH'S POV _

The shifting flames of the fire are the only light on this moonless night. Earlier, the moon was visible. It was almost full, but slowly over the course of the night the clouds have rolled in and blocked it, along with most of the other stars in the night sky. Without electricity and our lights lighting up the darkness, the stars have become that much more noticeable. Not tonight, though.

With the darkness surrounding our makeshift camp, it would be pretty damn easy for somebody to ambush us right now. Slit my throat while I stare into the fire, take everybody else by surprise. That unsettling thought forces me to scan the dark fields around us, thinking about all the hidden dangers that could be hidden in those waist high grasses. I always hate being on watch.

"You think it's past midnight yet?" Alex asks from my left. I'm startled by his random question. I thought I was the only one awake. But no, the little creep decides to scare me. He's still in his sleeping position, but he's turned to face me.

"Thanks for giving me a damn heart attack. And I suppose so, you little creep. What the hell are you still doing up?"

"Well, sleep is overrated in the first place." Alex says, a faint smile pulling at his lips. "And there's the nightmares that are particularly unpleasant, but that's not why i'm up tonight. I think today is my birthday."

"What? Your birthday isn't until September..."

"What month do you suppose it is, genius?"

"Oh." I say, feeling stupid.

"Yeah, thanks for remembering. Anyways, we used to have a calendar at the prison, and after everything happened I've tried to keep track of the day. And today should be September 18th, or around there somewhere. Either way, i'm calling it and saying i'm 15 now." Alex smiles broadly.

"Hey old man, I don't know if you can handle it without falling asleep, but it's your turn to take watch." His smile quickly diminishes into a frown. I let out an evil laugh. "Consider it your birthday present, from me to you, best friend." I scoot off of the log I was sitting on and collapse onto my blanket.

The morning brings a stiff back and a growling stomach.

It appears that i'm one of the last to wake today. As I roll my blanket off of the asphalt of the road, everybody else pretty much has all of their stuff packed into the two cars we possess. The fire has been stomped out, burnt twigs buried by a thick pile of ashes all that remains.

"So what's the deal about not having breakfast?" I ask Joan as we settle into the backseat of Daryl's car.

"Rick wants to conserve all we have until lunch today in Raleigh." She replies.

"We're going to Raleigh? Like in North Carolina?" _That's news_.

"Yeah. We entered the state sometime last night, I suppose. It's close, and it's the most probable place where we can get some supplies."

"Okay then...but I thought we were supposed to avoid big cities?" I'm confused, I'll admit. It almost seems like Rick's going a little off the deep end.

"Yeah, well that's what Rick said. But we don't have any other option" Carol says from the passengers seat.

On that cheery note, we all fall silent. The duration of the ride is honestly pretty damn boring. Daryl refuses to put in a CD when I ask him too, and Joan isn't much for talking. I'm reduced to staring out the window as we pass the apocalyptic scenery._ Who knew the end of the world could be so damn boring? _

_JOHN HALIDAY'S POV_

"How are our new guests? Jen asks me from across the table. Two steaming hot plates of breakfast are put down for us; Powdered eggs, orange slices, and a few strips of bacon.

"They seemed to enjoy the hot showers, from what Matt and Celine have told me. They fell asleep shortly after nine."

Jennifer Taft tilts her head with curiosity, the way i've seen her do hundreds of times in the last two years. "You have Matt and Celine watching them? Your own personal guards? That's quite interesting."

I nod to our servers, signalling their dismissal. They leave silently. "I want them kept in the best of care. We've needed more people since the last incident with Zeke two months ago. Twenty four casualties, in case you've forgotten."

"I haven't."

"Good, you can see why I don't want Connor and Tara harmed." The rays of the morning sun pierce the horizon for the first time today. I've always loved spending time in the old manager's office because it has the best view of sunrise. It's a shame that Jennifer chose this one to make into her own personal office. "Is it possible for you to give them the tour today instead of me? I want to oversee a supply run later on this morning."

"Is that really necessary, Jonathan? You seem to forget your age." Jennifer pushes up her glasses.

"It is, it really is necessary. Mike has been sick all week so he can't go out and make sure the teams are doing everything right. Without proper supervision this whole place falls apart."

"I have a sneaking suspicion that you just want to get on the outside. I could stop you, you do know that right?" She says in a superior tone that i've long ago learned to ignore.

"You could try, Ms. President, but then you'd be looking for a new vice." I say with a little smirk. Even though Jennifer knows we're both joking with each other, she also knows i'm dead serious. Our friendship can be very strained.

"Very well. Just don't break a hip, old man."

_ALEX'S POV_

The first thing I see of Raleigh, North Carolina is the faint hazy shadow of skyscrapers in the distance. Their grey forms contrast against the crisp blue sky and the dull greens of the leaves on the trees. The backroads of North Carolina are surprisingly free of abandoned cars and debris in the road. Rick takes full advantage of this by speeding down the bumpy road at breakneck speed.

None of us are up for talking, so I let my mind wander off to whatever is wants to. I think of that day in Atlanta over three weeks ago now, and how horrific it all was. Seeing Daryl walk out of that hospital, Grady Memorial, with Beth's dead body in his arms will be forever ingrained into my mind. Then the walkers decided to show up at the most inconvenient time, as they always do. In the chaos that followed, Bob was bitten in the shoulder trying to secure an escape car. Sasha killed him out of mercy, before turning the blade on herself. Running around downtown Atlanta with Daryl and Ashley was downright terrifying. My leg twitches as it remembers that gruesome climb up the side of the building we took refuge on. It's a lucky miracle that we even made it back to the hospital of horrors where my friend died.

_It's kind of like the prison all over again_, I realize with sour humor. Only this is on a much bigger scale, at least I think. _Who knows, really?_ This time though, i'm missing my brother and there's no Terminus to lead us all back together like the time before. We could honestly be split up for good now, judging from the amount of luck we've had trying to track everybody else down.

Connor is in good hands though. Kat was there with him in that minivan. Michonne too. Those two stubborn women can keep him safe, but I wish more than anything ever that I could be there with him, to know for certain he's okay..

"Look at that Alex!" Ashley nudges my shoulder. She points towards Raleigh, now appearing much closer than it did what felt like moments ago. I must have been in my thought bubble longer than it seemed.

"Kind of looks like Indianapolis, don't ya think?" I ask.

Ashley squints her eyes at the city. "I suppose it does, but we haven't been there in a long time though. Maybe one day we can go back." All that comes to mind when I think of my time in Indianapolis is the howls of the dead and the living as the government shelter fell into the grasp of chaos.

The thin forest around us fades into suburbs. The houses of the old working class look surprisingly well; Only a couple have broken windows or roof damage. A few walkers populate the area, but we easily out maneuver them.

Eventually we reach the beginnings of downtown. The buildings get taller and more rusted cars liter the street. Rick pulls over in front of a Subway, followed by Daryl. As we all get out to stretch our legs, Rick gives us the run down.

"Okay, Daryl and I will syphon some gas out of these cars. Carol, take Elijah, Eugene, and Joan inside the Subway and search for anything to eat. Alex, you, Ashley and Carl stand guard. We'll be right down the street so just holler if anything goes down." Without saying a word, everybody breaks away to do their jobs. Carol and her group enter the dark Subway, while Rick and Daryl start down the street to a thick cluster of cars.

_JOHN HALIDAY'S POV _

"Where is it you usually start searching?" I ask Douglas as we drive deeper into the city.

"Near the outskirts of town, sir. There's less deadies out there." Douglas answers, keeping his eyes locked on the road. He makes a sharp turn left, followed by the other supply truck.

"You are aware though, that if any walking corpses enter the city, it would be from the outskirts right? They're not just going to pop up in the middle of downtown."

"I-I suppose you're right." The big man stutters.

"But if you say there are more supplies out there, then that's where we should go."

"We can start farther in if you prefer, sir."

"That would be excellent."

ALEX'S POV

Carl nudges me in my shoulder. "Hold up, what's that?"

"What's what?" Ashley asks.

He points far down the road with one hand, holding Judith with the other. "Way down the road coming towards us! A big white truck!" I follow Carl's line of sight down the street until I finally make out what he's pointing at. Two large supply trucks driving our way.

"Get your dad, i'll get the others." Before i'm finished with my sentence Carl is shouting for Rick and Daryl. Ashley and I turn around, darting into the ruined Subway building behind me.

"Carol! Guys, we have a problem!" I shout. Moments later the four of them are visible, all carrying heavy backpacks.

"What's going on Alex?" Elijah asks.

"There's two big trucks coming down the street."

Joan speaks up. "Can't we just hide everybody in here?"

"We can't risk it, they could have more people and more guns then us. We have to get out of here." Carol says. The six of us exit Subway to find Rick, Daryl and Carl dumping gas into our two vehicles. Carol and Joan throw their haul into the back of one of them and help prepare the cars.

"We're not going to make it!" Carol yells. I realize that she is right. The trucks have obviously seen us now.

"Kids, get in the cars. Joan, if things go bad, drive off." Rick commands. Ashley and Carl follow Joan into a car. Rick looks at Elijah and I skeptically when we don't follow Joan into the car. He opens his mouth to say something, but decides against it. I'm happy that Rick doesn't consider us children anymore.

The first truck comes to a stop about twenty feet ahead of us. I draw my pistol. A tall, muscular man with a shaved head exits from the driver's side. Two more men similar to him emerge from the back seats. All three pull out their guns, mirroring ours. More men come out of the second truck. It's almost an even match. I'm about to pull the trigger when another figure emerges from the first truck. Unlike the rest of his group, he is an elderly man with no visable weapons on him. He holds his hands up in truce.

"Hello!" He calls out in a creaky old man voice. "Care for a chat?"

That is honestly the last thing I expected him to say. What kind of old man goes around looking to talk in a world like this? With a personal guard to back him up? The whole thing strikes me as weird, and not the good kind. _It's Terminus all over again_.

"What the hell do you want from us?" Rick spits, leveling his gun at the old man's head.

"Right now, I just want to talk, sir. Gentlemen, if you would lower your weapons." The men at his disposal lower their guns and relax. None of us do, though.

"Rick. I'm Rick." Rick says. "You want to talk. Well, talk."

"Hello Rick. I'm John Haliday. I can see you people have been through a lot. Probably a hell of a lot more than I've been through since this all started. You see, i've been sheltered from this hell for a long time now because I live at a place that is safe-"

"And you want us to come back with you, and surrender our weapons, right old man?" Elijah interjects. "We've heard this story before."

"You can keep your weapons on you, none of us will try to take them. There's another group in town comprised of savages. If they found you, you'd be killed or thrown in their fighting pit no questions asked. I don't want to see that happen."

Daryl steps up. "How do we know you aren't one of these savages? We've dealt with people like you before. It always ends the same, with us alive and your place burnt to the ground."

"Listen, I don't want to hurt you. We were just on a supply run when we ran into you folks, that's all. If you want, you can get in your cars and leave. We won't come after you. Or, you can get in your cars and follow us back to our base camp and think about staying. You'll be able to leave at any time, I swear it on my life."

Rick turns to Carol and Daryl. "We can't trust this guy, but I think it's at least worth checking it out."

"This smells like a trap, Rick. We can't go through another Terminus with the group so depleted. It'll be a hell of a chance we're taking." Carol argues.

"He has to ride with us, that's my condition." Daryl says.

"Fine." Rick turns back to John. "We'll go, but we will require you to ride with us in our cars."

"Smart of you Rick. As long as ride with you, you'll be safe from my dangerous people, is that it? Well, we're not dangerous, but i'll still ride with you. I am pretty important at my place, vice president even."

_Next Time: Rick and the group arrive at the SOP, Kat and her group get caught in the spider's web, and Connor and Tara make an interesting discovery. _


End file.
